GM Mustard gets regulatory approval, activists urge government to reject it

India Today, Ekta Handa, July 31, 2017

Genetically modified mustard will hit the market as the GEAC (Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee) of India has given its approval.

Anti-GM activists have requested Prime Minister Modi to ensure that the release of the genetically modified mustard is declined. The GEAC gave a thumbs up to GM Mustard on Thursday, July 27.

Now, the fate of the production this genetically modified crop depends the decision of the central government.

The application for allowing the commercial production of GM Mustrad was put in by Deepak Pental, noted genetics scientist and ex-vice chancellor of Delhi University. The GEAC gave a go-ahead to the GM Mustard after a sub-committee was set up to examine the effects of its use. Last year, the GEAC had observed that the GM Mustard is safe for consumption by human beings.

Activists from the Sarson Satyagrah have condemned the GM Mustard and has also urged PM Modi to make sure the application for the commercial production of the GM mustard is not accepted. In an open letter, activist Mira Shiva has said that it is being argued that GM mustard is good because it is a "public funded project", "forgetting that what is inherently unsafe (created through transgenic technology) is bound to be unsafe whether it is from the public sector or private sector".

Activists are arguing that GM mustard is harmful to all - consumers and producers alike.
#FYI GM crops are genetically modified crops whose DNA has been altered to include traits that are not found in the crop naturally. In food crops, the features include resistance to pests, diseases and environmental conditions.

Vandana Shiva, well-known physicist and activist in an article in Deccan Chronicle stated that the introduction of GM Mustard will be "anti-science and anti-democracy".

"Anti-science because the main justification given for genetic engineering mustard, with herbicide-resistant traits to resist Bayer’s herbicide glufosinate called Basta, is to increase in yields of mustard and stop edible oil imports. The GMO mustard has lower yields than non-GMO alternatives available in the country," the article states.

If GM mustard is allowed, it will be the second genetically modified food crop in the country after Bt Brinjal.

The crop is said to bring down the produce of mustard in India and also adversely affect the Indian farmers who are already under the burden of debt. Apart from environmental activists, the Swadeshi Jagran Manch an affiliate to the RSS, is also against the approval for production of GM Mustard.

The government meanwhile has announced that it will take a decision on GM Mustard in September.

Reference


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